1969 U.S.A. Apollo 11
16th July 1969 : Apollo 11 astronauts were launched into space on a Saturn 5 rocket launched from Cape Kennedy at 9:32 a.m. hoping to be the first men to land on the moon.
The crew consisted of Neil Armstrong, Commander Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Lunar Module Pilot Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot
It's estimated more than a million people watched the launch at Cape Kennedy in Florida. Apollo 11 is scheduled to make it's moon landing in four days time on Sunday July 20th if all goes well.

1918 Russia Czar Nicholas II
Jul. 16th 1918 : Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed by the Bolsheviks, bringing an end to the three-century-old Romanov dynasty

1928 U.S.A. Farm Wages
Jul. 16th 1928 : The Bureau of Agricultural Economics part of the Department of Agriculture has reported that the wages for farm industry are lower than last years levels as the supply of farm workers is more plentiful.

Help Support The Ongoing Work On The People History Check Our Taking You Back In Time

1955 UK Sterling Moss
Jul. 16th 1955 : Sterling Moss won his first Formula One Grand Prix race, the British Grand Prix in Aintree, Sterling Moss never won a World Championship, having finished second to Juan Manuel Fangio for four consecutive years

1957 U.S.A. Record Flight
Jul. 16th 1957 : A new transcontinental record was set travelling across the United States in 3 hours, 23 minutes in a Navy jet plane by Major John Glenn Jr.

1970 UK State Of Emergency
Jul. 16th 1970 : The British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling declares a state of emergency to deal with dock strikes, this will allow the use of The Army, Navy and Airforce to be on standby to handle cargo from ships affected.

1973 U.S.A. White House Tapes Revealed
Jul. 16th 1973 : During a senate investigation into the Watergate Affair a former White House aide reveals the existence of a secret taping system which would contain tapes possibly incriminating President Nixon.

1979 IRAQ Saddam Hussein
Jul. 16th 1979 : Following a period of building his power base in Iraq Saddam Hussein forces the ailing president of Iraq ( al-Bakr ) to resign and takes over as the president of Iraq. On his first assembly of Ba'ath party leaders following gaining control he lists 68 "disloyal" members of the party to be removed ( Later tried and Many sentenced to death ) to ensure his rule would be safe from dissenters.

1987 UK British Airways
Jul. 16th 1987 : British Caledonian and British Airways have agreed to a merger which will help them compete on the world stage with the large US Airlines . The merger was investigated by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and after a number of guaranteed for staff from British Caledonian the merger was finally given the go ahead in December 1987.

1990 Philippines Earthquake
Jul. 16th 1990 : A 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Luzon Island in the Philippines with Baguio City suffering the worst effects with more than 1,000 people killed.

2002 U.S.A. Department of Homeland Security
16th July 2002 : President George W. Bush announces his plan for strengthening homeland security in the wake of the September 11th, 2001, ( 911 ) terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., in which nearly 3,000 people had been killed. He created the Department of Homeland Security and the color-coded warning system that identified different levels of threat.

2004 U.S.A. Martha Stewart
Jul. 16th 2004 : Martha Stewart is sentenced to five months in prison and a two year period of supervised release (to include five months of home confinement) by a federal judge in New York for conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to federal investigators.

South Korea 2006 South Korea Severe Flooding
Jul. 16th 2006 : Over 2,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes as monsoon rains produced flash floods and landslides in the Gangwon province of South Korea. Mudslides killed least ten people, while many others were reported missing.

2006 U.S.A. David Carruthers CEO BETonSPORTS plc. Arrested
Jul. 16th 2006 : Mr Carruthers travelling to Costa Rica changes planes at Dallas Airport where federal authorities arrest him. His arrest is part of a crackdown by US authorities designed to "punish and seize the profits" of those illegally running commercial gambling across state and international borders which is a crime in the US. Following his arrest many of the companies who target US gamblers online are being hit hard.

Japan 2007 Japan Central Japan Earthquake
16th July 2007 : An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 hit central Japan. As a result of the earthquake nine people were killed, hundreds of homes were damaged, and one of the worlds largest nuclear power plants was damaged. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant had a small electrical fire after the quake, as well as leaks of radioactive air and water into the environment. Nearly 100 barrels of nuclear waste also fell over because of the earthquake. The incident prompted increased safety in power plants over concern of a repeated scare.

Egypt 2008 Egypt Train Crash
Jul. 16th 2008 : Over thirty people are killed after a train crash takes place near
Marsa Matruh, Egypt. Over forty people were also injured because of the crash.
The crash was reportedly caused by the train colliding with vehicles at a crossing.

U.S.A. 2009 U.S.A. Industrial Espionage By Chinese
Jul. 16th 2009 : Dongfan Chung, a former engineer employed by Boeing and Rockwell International, was found guilty of economic espionage on this day. Chung, a Chinese born naturalized United States citizen was accused of giving secretive information about space shuttle technology to China. This is part of a major concern in the West over China's increased attempts at obtaining military and industial secrets through whatever means they can. Back in the times of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union very similar circumstances were common practice.

Germany 2011 Germany North Korean Athletes Fail Doping Tests
Jul. 16th, 2011 : Five players from North Korea tested positive for a banned steroid at the women's World Cup in Germany. Two players had tested positive before their game against Colombia earlier in the month which triggered testing for the whole squad. The last doping case at the World Cup occurred in 1994 after Diego Maradona was banned from the men's tournament.

North Korea 2012 North Korea North Korea Reshuffles Military Leaders
16th July, 2012 : North Korea's vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission Ri Yong-ho was removed from all positions and replaced by Hyon Yong-chol according to North Korean media. The official reasoning behind Ri Yong-ho's removal was illness, although many are skeptical that was the true reason for his removal as the new leader of the country Kim Jong-un tries to promote new leadership within the military.

Russia 2013 Russia Putin Inspects War Games

16th July, 2013 : Russia held its largest war games since Soviet times, and President Vladimir Putin was there to inspect it The drills involved around 160,000 people. The exercises were held in the east of the country and were meant to increase preparedness in the Russian military.

Born This day in History July 16th

Known For :
An Austrian composer who studied at the University of Vienna between
1920 and 1924. He was a conductor for the Berlin Radio Symphony, the Dresden
Philharmonic and the Danish State Symphony before moving to the United
States in 1936, where he conducted the Erie Philharmonic from 1947 to
1953, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra from 1953 to 1962.